Constipation

I've been asked a question about how to deal with constipation naturally, so let's get right to it.

The common scoop on poop is that if you have a bowel movement at least three times a week, you are not constipated. However, nutritional experts I counsel with say that if you are not having a bowel movement after every time you eat (a minimum of three times a day for the average person), you are constipated!! Quite a difference isn't there?

I have found in my own life that if I have fewer than 2 movements in a day (assuming I've eaten two regular meals), I begin to feel sick and bloated and very sluggish. The simple math: the more often I go, the better I feel. So, what's a girl to do to get the move on?

The following are a few of my favorite things:

1) Fiber--The first thing I do is step back and evaluate what I've been eating lately. When I've dealt with constipation, I can usually trace it back to a diet lacking in fiber. Fiber passes through your system virtually unchanged and is what gives your stool bulk and soft texture, making it more pleasant to pass.

There are a number of easy and effective ways to get fiber into you. Some of my favorite food sources are good ol' raw fruits and veggies, cherry flavored prunes, carrot juice with Barley Life, ground flax seed, whole grains, or a big pot of beans. I have often used these fiber-rich foods with my own children when they get plugged up. As soon as my infant son was on table food and had been introduced to carrot juice and prunes, I used them when he would get constipated from baby cereals and such.

If you would like to take a daily fiber supplement, my husband swears by Herbal Fiberblend. I have heard nothing but good about this product. Herbal Fiberblend does contain cascara sagrada, so pregnant or nursing women should not take it. When pregnant or nursing, I simply eat the fiber-rich foods.

Anytime you eat or take fiber, be sure to drink a big glass of water. If you do not, the constipation could worsen because you don't have enough water in your system.

2) Water--Poop needs water to work. . . and it needs to be pure, filtered water. My personal goal is 8-10 glasses of pure water a day. I don't always get there, but I always feel better on the days that I do.

Do you struggle to drink enough water during the day? There is a popular illustration of putting rocks into a jar. If you put in the big rocks first, the smaller ones always manage to fit, but if you put in the little rocks first, the big ones never seem to have enough room. I admit that I used drink my sodas first and then had a hard time fitting in the water. The truth is that sodas ROB your beautiful body of water and put you into dehydrated mode. This is not good if you want to prevent or clear up constipation.

So, if you want to drink more water and fewer sodas, wean yourself by replacing one soda a day with one glass of water. You can also baby step by replacing your favorite soda with a natural soda like Big Sky. Their Cherry Vanilla Creme is excellent! And before you know it, sodas will be a rare, once-in-awhile treat and you will feel so great, you won't miss them.

Increasing daily fiber and water are my first lines of defense for my own family against constipation, so try these first.

I do have some extra lines of natural defense that have also worked for us that I will blog about soon for you. But for now, I’ve got to run. My baby’s got a dirty diaper.